introjection

[ in-truh-jek-shuhn ]

noun

, Psychoanalysis.

1. an unconscious psychic process by which a person incorporates the characteristics of another person or object into their own psychic apparatus.

introjection

/ ˌɪntrəˈdʒɛkʃən /

noun

1. psychol the act or process of introjecting

Derived Forms

• ˌintroˈjective, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of introjection¹

First recorded in 1865–70; intro- + (in)jection

Word History and Origins

Origin of introjection¹

C20: from intro- + ( pro ) jection

Example Sentences

Research from 2012 suggests that a process called introjection helps people to cope with the death of a celebrity.

From Scientific American

Lacking the titillating mythological wink of the Oedipal complex or the sharp weaponization potential of passive-aggression, introjection never seeped into the popular consciousness.

From Washington Post

The introjection of the object is here unmistakably clear.

From Project Gutenberg

He stumbled across the concept of parental introjection — the absorption of the traits of the adults we’re around first and most frequently.

From Washington Post

This second piece is the one which has been altered by introjection and which contains the lost object.

From Project Gutenberg